A tram has run along Corporation Street in the heart of Birmingham city centre for the first time decades.

A late night Midlands Metro test run went without any major hitches, meaning that passenger services will soon be running between Snow Hill and New Street Station.

Centro has also confirmed that the full extension - running from Snow Hill station to Stephenson Street - will commence on May 22.

Testing had to take place during the early hours of the morning, when no rail services were running through New Street Station, to ensure the trains' and trams' electrical systems and power supply did not interfere with each other.

And the successful test means the £128 million Metro extension, which has been five years in the making, is nearing completion. There will be further dead-of-night test runs and driver training over the next few weeks.

Trams last ran along Corporation Street in 1953 when the old Birmingham Corporation Tramway service was decommissioned.

Midland Metro trams have been running from Snow Hill to Bull Street since last December but the rest of the extension had to be delayed until the spring.

Midlands Metro extension map
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It was due to be completed at the end of 2015 but overran - partly due to breaks while work on New Street and Grand Central were completed and during the German market in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

The £128 million investment in the scheme also covered the cost of the new maintenance depot at Wednesbury and the fleet of 21 new trams which were introduced on the Birmingham to Wolverhampton line last year.

How a battery-powered tram will look going through Victoria Square.
How a battery-powered tram will look going through Victoria Square.

Further developments in the pipeline include an extension into Wolverhampton city centre, due to complete later this year, and a further Birmingham city centre extension running up to Centenary Square - due to be completed in 2019.

Longer term plans are being made to take the line further along Broad Street and onto Hagley Road while a branch down through Digbeth linking to the new HS2 station at Curzon Street is also planned.